Celtics 102, Cavaliers 88: C's back up the talk in win over Cavs

Jaylen Brown let it be known that the Celtics wanted to make a statement as the eyes of the nation watched Wednesday night's Eastern Conference showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

By Scott Souza/Daily News Staff

BOSTON — Jaylen Brown let it be known that the Celtics wanted to make a statement as the eyes of the nation watched Wednesday night’s Eastern Conference showdown against the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Celtics then took to the parquet and took turns walking the walk of Brown’s talk as they avenged an opening-night loss to the Cavaliers by putting on a clinic in a 102-88 victory at TD Garden in Round 2 against Cleveland.

On a night full of headliners — Kyrie Irving, Al Horford, Kevin Love, LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and the return of Isaiah Thomas to the Garden despite sitting out the game with a sore hip — it was the supporting cast that ruled the day for the Celtics.

Terry Rozier scored 20 points on 8-of-12 shooting with four 3-pointers, Marcus Smart had 15 points, four rebounds, and four assists, Jayson Tatum scored 11 of his 15 points in the second half, and Brown had a big night with 14 points and eight rebounds for Boston in its fourth straight victory.

Irving and Horford each had a modest 11 points for Boston.

LeBron James scored 19 points — but only three points on 1-for-6 shooting in the second half — before sitting the entire fourth quarter, while Love, Wade, and Jeff Green went a combined 6-for-32 for the Cavaliers.

The Celtics improved to 31-10 with the win and increased the gap between them and the defending conference champions to 4½ games.

Brown said following Tuesday’s practice that the Celtics had “no fear” of the Cavaliers and wanted to show they could “outplay, outcoach and out-operate” the Cavaliers. That’s exactly what happened throughout the night — especially in the second half — as the Celtics held the Cavaliers to just 35 percent shooting in the game.

Tatum scored eight points in the first 4:16 of the second half as the Celtics opened the half on a 15-5 run for a 70-52 lead. Irving’s three-point play made it 75-55 with 6:21 on the clock before Cavaliers chipped back with an 11-2 run for an 11-point game with 2:14 on the clock.

Brown then rose up for back-to-back slams to make it an 81-68 game entering the fourth.

The Celtics ran off six straight points to start the fourth — with James on the bench — with Rozier, Tatum, and Aron Baynes finding the bottom of the net for a 19-point lead with 9:57 remaining.

Smart answered Wade’s second make in 10 attempts with a 3-pointer for a 90-70 game with 7:53 to go. The Cavaliers shot back with five in a row before Rozier drilled a 3-pointer off a screen for an 18-point gap.

The Cavaliers were back within 16 when Rozier rattled off five of his own — including his fourth 3-pointer of the night — for a 98-77 game with 5:33 to go and both teams soon emptied the bench.

Rozier and Tatum received a standing ovation when they exited the game for good up 20 with 2:31 to play.

Then the entire team left the court to a standing ovation at the final buzzer.

While the specter of Gordon Hayward’s gruesome injury hung over the first half of the season-opening meeting between the teams, Wednesday night’s first 24 minutes were filled with high-level exchanges between the conference final favorites.

Rozier came off the bench for eight points in three minutes to end the first quarter with his 3-pointer in the final seconds putting Boston up 32-21 after one. The Celtics stretched the lead to 13 on a Baynes basket early in the second when Baynes came up limping and Celtics coach Brad Stevens turned to Daniel Theis off the bench.

Theis promptly hit two 3-pointers, while Kyle Korver drilled three for the Cavaliers, as the Celtics were up 42-30 into a seven-point Cleveland run. Smart came back with a 3-pointer for a 45-37 edge and Green answered with a three-point play.

Horford’s driving slam from Irving put the Celtics up 51-42 with 1:19 to go before they closed the entertaining half up 55-47.

Scott Souza can be reached at ssouza@wickedlocal.com. Follow him on Twitter @Scott_Souza.

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